From 25-27 February 2026, the ULTFARMS consortium came together in Delft, the Netherlands, for the project’s final General Assembly, hosted by Deltares. Bringing together partners from across Europe, the meeting marked an important moment to reflect on results achieved, consolidate lessons learned across pilot sites, and define next steps toward impact, exploitation and long-term legacy.
Pilot Sites: From Feasibility to Real-World Lessons
A central focus of the General Assembly was the presentation and comparison of results from the ULTFARMS pilot sites across Europe. Partners from DTU, Wageningen Research (WR), Research & Development Centre Kiel GmbH (FuE Ghent University (UGent) presented experiences from offshore and nearshore test sites in Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium.
Together, these pilots provided a comprehensive picture of how low-trophic aquaculture systems perform under offshore and exposed conditions, spanning mussels, seaweed, and oysters.
Across sites, the consortium highlighted both technical successes and operational challenges, including system robustness, access limitations, weather dependency, and cost factors. A recurring message was clear: while offshore aquaculture is biologically feasible, commercial viability depends strongly on site selection, system design, and operational practicality. Importantly, pilots also demonstrated that nearshore and less exposed environments remain critical for technology validation before offshore scaling.
Associated Regions and Knowledge Transfer
Updates from the project’s Associated Regions highlighted how ULTFARMS knowledge is already being applied outside the main pilot sites. Representatives from regional authorities, universities, research organisations, and local industry actors in Wales, Morocco, Latvia, Poland, and Tunisia shared progress on feasibility studies, early-stage pilots, spatial planning, regulatory analysis, and stakeholder engagement.
These contributions demonstrated ULTFARMS’ relevance well beyond its core locations and showed how lessons learned are being transferred to regions at very different stages of offshore aquaculture and offshore wind development.
Industry Sounding Board: Market Reality and Practical Feedback
The Industry Sounding Board (ISB) session brought together voices from across the aquaculture and offshore value chains, including input from BMRS, Ocean Rainforest, Hortimare, offshore developers, and technology providers. ISB members emphasized the importance of distinguishing between biological potential and economic reality, encouraging the consortium to clearly communicate where offshore aquaculture is feasible and where it is currently not. This feedback will directly shape ULTFARMS’ final outputs, ensuring they are practical, transparent, and relevant for decision‑makers and investors.
From Results to Impact: Roadmaps, Briefs and Legacy
The second half of the General Assembly focused on synthesis and impact. Dedicated sessions led by partners including SUBMARINER Network, CTA, RBINS, VLIZ, WR, and Deltares focused on the project’s final outputs. These include a set of policy, business, technical and capacity-building briefs, as well as the ULTFARMS Roadmap, which will present clear, accessible guidance on licensing, operations, monitoring, financing, and upscaling of offshore multi-use aquaculture.
Progress was also shared on cross-cutting themes such as Nature-Inclusive Design, monitoring tools, modelling, and governance, reinforcing ULTFARM’s position as a first-generation Mission Ocean innovation action transitioning from piloting toward deployment.
Closing an Important Chapter
While the General Assembly marked the conclusion of joint field-testing activities across pilots, it also confirmed that ULTFARMS’ impact will extend well beyond the project’s lifetime. The data, analyses, tools and collaborations developed over the past years will continue to inform future offshore aquaculture projects and integrated ocean use strategies across Europe.
Thank you to all who participated and to all who contribute to this important project!
